I just broke another Muzzy XD... Anyway, I wanting to try an 888 or something different. What else is out there? I saw a thread on here a few weeks back about a reel that looks similar to the XD for about half price. Anyone know or remember the thread?
reel help
braceysdad
41 - 60 of 61 Posts
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540 Posts
Brady that was a great video!!! Wish more people would still do this....keep saying I am going to do something like this one my boat.
Look ALL spinner reels suck and will never last as long as a retriever. However, I think the Muzzy is still the best one on the market. Is it perfect? No, you still have to push to the button and if you forget enough times it will make you regret it! But I will continue to shoot a spinner until I give up tournament fishing.
Look ALL spinner reels suck and will never last as long as a retriever. However, I think the Muzzy is still the best one on the market. Is it perfect? No, you still have to push to the button and if you forget enough times it will make you regret it! But I will continue to shoot a spinner until I give up tournament fishing.
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1,554 Posts
Yeah me either I got some reels on my boat that are probably 5 years old and shot the 230# gar with a 2 y/o reel that 1 have shot 100's of fish with! Don't make much sense other then we have alot of people that are new to spinners and have just not figured out how to use them properly, guess it's time for the sticky again and instructions!
Techniques and tips for using a Spin cast reel! ________________________________________
Due to the growing popularity and use as well as many people converting over to using a spin cast reel for the 1st time and to offer some tips for people that have been using these reels, I thought it would be a good idea to go over those here and hopefully avert some user problems many have been experiencing with their reels and definitely prolong the life of a spin cast reel used for bowfishing.
Now there are only my thoughts, but those are based on over 20 years of use and also being involved in the designing and building of spin cast reels as well.
Basically I will start out with a new reel and continue on from there so forgive me if some of this information is not new to many of you but we do have a lot of 1st time users out there.
1) On the Muzzy reel always back off the drag before unscrewing the hood. The tabs for the drag disks secure against the inside edge of the cover and can make it difficult to remove the hood.
2) remove any mono line from reel and only use braided spectra or FF line with these reels, we have found the line in the 150-200# test to work the best, larger diameter line will not spool off properly and will severely reduce the line capacity of the reel.
3) You must secure the line on the spool so the line will bite into the spool when pressure is applied and recommend using a small loop and then making a double slip loop with the line around the spool to prevent slippage. It may be necessary to use a single wrap of electrical tape around the base of the spool to prevent any slippage as well.
4) Set drag light and always unwind line off so the spool rotates to prevent line twists, wind line on reel until you cannot reel anymore line on or the drag starts to click, remove hood and make sure line is to the top limit of the spool. Once on the water you can wet the line and rewind it on the spool and only trim off just enough line so you can reel the arrow back to the bow. You want to keep as much line on the reel as possible as it makes the line flow off the reel much better.
5) set the drag on the reel as light as you can but just tight enough to allow you to pull the arrow out of the bottom, you do not want to over tighten the drag all the way down, this can cause damage to the reel and will make you lose large fish by applying too much pressure, use the drag on the reel to fight the fish in. Over tightened drags can cause damage to reel and is unnecessary for most situations and puts a tremendous amount of strain on all the reel components.
6) We do recommend using silicone type spray on the line as it aids in line flow and comes off the reel much smoother. Do not use any petroleum based products such as penetrating fluid or WD-40 as they can degrade the line and cause the reel to gum up.
7) Always check and tighten all screws on the reel prior to using and use loc tite on any screws that may come loose, like reel handle screws, etc.
8) Use a sturdy reel seat to attach reel to bow and align reel so it is vertical and in line with the arrow coming off the bow and tighten securely.
9) Before shooting the reel for the 1st time, always take off all the line, wet it and rewind the line back on the reel. Spectra fiber lines will dry very quickly and will bunch up on the spool as well as dig in underneath the wraps and can cause the line to hang up in the spool and cause reel breakage or line breakage, so always unspool and rewind the line before shooting.
After you have shot a lot of arrow or gotten stuck in the bottom or fought a large fish and put a lot of pressure on the line, before sure before shooting again, to unspool and rewind the line to pack it on the spool evenly, this will definitely save a lot of future problems and keep the line flowing off the reel smoothly. Many pin breakage problems can be accounted for this as the line is coming off the reel and the jarring from the line being hung up is actually causing the reel to deploy the pickup pin and with the arrow on the end of the line flying off the bow, this creates a tremendous amount of energy and something has to give, so always keep the line spooled on the reel evenly and sprayed down with silicone to flow smoothly and will alleviate many of these problems.
10) Normally we just tie to the back of the arrows with spin cast reels, but safety slides and rings can be used but do suggest using a rod extension to prevent the possibility of shooting the arrow without the button on the reel being pushed as the line coming to an end will pull the arrow off the string.
11) whether tying to the back or using a slide, always keep all slack line going from arrow to reel tightened up and never shoot the arrow with any slack line between arrow and reel. Make sure the line is lying on top of the reel and tightened up at all times. If you draw on a fish and do not shoot, always tighten the slack line back up before drawing again. Doing this will prevent you from shooting the arrow without the button being pushed and will keep the line from tangling with the reel or rest.
12) Since the handle can be bumped or engaged easily, always check and push the button while waiting between shots.
13) Being careful and paying attention to what you are doing at all time can prevent a lot of accidents and breakage, once you start doing these things it will become automatic and you will find yourself doing them without even thinking about it.
14) be sure to check your line especially the loop on the arrow and the short section going to the arrow for frays or cuts after using and cut and replace as needed. Once the line falls down below the outer limits of the reel spool, it will become more difficult to unspool and pull out the line and you may need to respool the reel if you have lost a large portion of your line.
Good luck and if you have any questions or problems always feel free to contact Mark Land with technical support at Muzzy at mark@muzzy.com or 770-387-9300 or by accessing our website at www.muzzy.com, highlight the Support button, click on Technical Support and select the appropriate section.
Techniques and tips for using a Spin cast reel! ________________________________________
Due to the growing popularity and use as well as many people converting over to using a spin cast reel for the 1st time and to offer some tips for people that have been using these reels, I thought it would be a good idea to go over those here and hopefully avert some user problems many have been experiencing with their reels and definitely prolong the life of a spin cast reel used for bowfishing.
Now there are only my thoughts, but those are based on over 20 years of use and also being involved in the designing and building of spin cast reels as well.
Basically I will start out with a new reel and continue on from there so forgive me if some of this information is not new to many of you but we do have a lot of 1st time users out there.
1) On the Muzzy reel always back off the drag before unscrewing the hood. The tabs for the drag disks secure against the inside edge of the cover and can make it difficult to remove the hood.
2) remove any mono line from reel and only use braided spectra or FF line with these reels, we have found the line in the 150-200# test to work the best, larger diameter line will not spool off properly and will severely reduce the line capacity of the reel.
3) You must secure the line on the spool so the line will bite into the spool when pressure is applied and recommend using a small loop and then making a double slip loop with the line around the spool to prevent slippage. It may be necessary to use a single wrap of electrical tape around the base of the spool to prevent any slippage as well.
4) Set drag light and always unwind line off so the spool rotates to prevent line twists, wind line on reel until you cannot reel anymore line on or the drag starts to click, remove hood and make sure line is to the top limit of the spool. Once on the water you can wet the line and rewind it on the spool and only trim off just enough line so you can reel the arrow back to the bow. You want to keep as much line on the reel as possible as it makes the line flow off the reel much better.
5) set the drag on the reel as light as you can but just tight enough to allow you to pull the arrow out of the bottom, you do not want to over tighten the drag all the way down, this can cause damage to the reel and will make you lose large fish by applying too much pressure, use the drag on the reel to fight the fish in. Over tightened drags can cause damage to reel and is unnecessary for most situations and puts a tremendous amount of strain on all the reel components.
6) We do recommend using silicone type spray on the line as it aids in line flow and comes off the reel much smoother. Do not use any petroleum based products such as penetrating fluid or WD-40 as they can degrade the line and cause the reel to gum up.
7) Always check and tighten all screws on the reel prior to using and use loc tite on any screws that may come loose, like reel handle screws, etc.
8) Use a sturdy reel seat to attach reel to bow and align reel so it is vertical and in line with the arrow coming off the bow and tighten securely.
9) Before shooting the reel for the 1st time, always take off all the line, wet it and rewind the line back on the reel. Spectra fiber lines will dry very quickly and will bunch up on the spool as well as dig in underneath the wraps and can cause the line to hang up in the spool and cause reel breakage or line breakage, so always unspool and rewind the line before shooting.
After you have shot a lot of arrow or gotten stuck in the bottom or fought a large fish and put a lot of pressure on the line, before sure before shooting again, to unspool and rewind the line to pack it on the spool evenly, this will definitely save a lot of future problems and keep the line flowing off the reel smoothly. Many pin breakage problems can be accounted for this as the line is coming off the reel and the jarring from the line being hung up is actually causing the reel to deploy the pickup pin and with the arrow on the end of the line flying off the bow, this creates a tremendous amount of energy and something has to give, so always keep the line spooled on the reel evenly and sprayed down with silicone to flow smoothly and will alleviate many of these problems.
10) Normally we just tie to the back of the arrows with spin cast reels, but safety slides and rings can be used but do suggest using a rod extension to prevent the possibility of shooting the arrow without the button on the reel being pushed as the line coming to an end will pull the arrow off the string.
11) whether tying to the back or using a slide, always keep all slack line going from arrow to reel tightened up and never shoot the arrow with any slack line between arrow and reel. Make sure the line is lying on top of the reel and tightened up at all times. If you draw on a fish and do not shoot, always tighten the slack line back up before drawing again. Doing this will prevent you from shooting the arrow without the button being pushed and will keep the line from tangling with the reel or rest.
12) Since the handle can be bumped or engaged easily, always check and push the button while waiting between shots.
13) Being careful and paying attention to what you are doing at all time can prevent a lot of accidents and breakage, once you start doing these things it will become automatic and you will find yourself doing them without even thinking about it.
14) be sure to check your line especially the loop on the arrow and the short section going to the arrow for frays or cuts after using and cut and replace as needed. Once the line falls down below the outer limits of the reel spool, it will become more difficult to unspool and pull out the line and you may need to respool the reel if you have lost a large portion of your line.
Good luck and if you have any questions or problems always feel free to contact Mark Land with technical support at Muzzy at mark@muzzy.com or 770-387-9300 or by accessing our website at www.muzzy.com, highlight the Support button, click on Technical Support and select the appropriate section.
Joined
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1,554 Posts
Muzzy Reel Instruction Sheet
Thank you for purchasing what we feel is the best built spin cast reel made. This reel was built for Bowfishing and is designed from the frame up to handle the unique requirements of our sport. We spent over 3 years developing and designing this reel with a leading manufacturer of private label reels and feel we have come up with the ultimate spin cast reel.
For Bowfishing purposes, all factory mono line should be removed and replaced with a specialty, spectra or fast flight Bowfishing line. The factory mono line is used to test out the drag system on the reels and is not suitable for Bowfishing. We recommend using 200#, 175# or 150# spectra/fast flight line on these reels only. We do not recommend using any braided Dacron line in our reels as the diameter of the line is normally large and will limit line capacity as well as make line flow off the reel more difficult. The reel was built to handle spectra/fast flight line and will handle the unique stress these lines put on reels as well as give you the added benefits these lines provide. Approximate capacities for 200# line are 100ft and for the 150# line is 155ft.
To remove reel hood to remove factory line and to replace with Bowfishing line, be sure to loosen the drag each time the hood is removed as the drag system disks have tabs that bottom on the edge of the reel hood to keep in place and it will make it much easier to unscrew and reinstall the hood with the drag loosened.
Installing line: Due to the slick nature of the synthetic line materials, care should be taken when installing line to eliminate line slippage on the spool and maximize the performance of the reel and the line. Line should be installed by tying a small loop in the end of the line and wrapping around the spool of the reel with a double loop making sure the loop is put on the spool so it will bite into or tighten on the spool as pressure is applied. To prevent line twist, be sure to place line spool on a rod or arrow shaft as you spool the reel so the line spool will rotate as line is applied. Make sure drag is set light as you wind the line onto the reel. Spool will be full when it becomes hard to reel in line or drag begins to slip on the reel. Take cover off and make sure that the line is up to the outer edge of the spool. The line will flow and shoot smoothly off the reel as long as the reel spool is full of line.
Be sure to tighten the reel handle screw firmly, but do not over tighten! It is advisable to use some form of lock tight on the screw threads to prevent loosening from vibration in the boat. Handle is convertible from Right to Left hand retrieve by removing the screw opposite the handle and pulling handle and shaft out of reel and replacing in opposite side.
Use a high quality, sturdy reel seat when mounting reel to bow. Be sure to tighten the rings on the reel seat fully and eliminate any play in the foot of the reel.
The drag system used on these reels is a heavy duty, disc type system and normally does not require a lot of pressure or tightening down to work properly. We recommend only setting the drag heavy enough that you can snatch your arrow out of the bottom or slow down most normal size fish. Use the drag to your benefit and do not try to over power the fish and you will increase your percentages of landed fish.
Very little maintenance is required of the reels other then making sure all screw are tight and excessive dirt and grass, etc are washed off after each outing. All internal components on the reel are either stainless steel or brass and are very corrosion resistant, but rinsing off after each use in salt water is recommended to prolong the life of the reel.
Before shooting the reel each time you go out, be sure to plunk your arrow into the water and remove a nominal length of line and make sure it is wet and reeled back up. This will ensure that the line is packed well on the spool of the reel and will eliminate any tangles or hang ups in the reel from the line being dry and loosening on the spool. We do recommend the use of silicone on the line for each outing as it will make the line flow very smoothly off the reel and helps with evenly packing the line on the spool as it is reeled into the reel. Just a few quick sprays will do it, do not over spray and no need to soak down the whole reel, just wet the line with the silicone and it will flow smoothly.
Safety slides can be used with spin cast reels, but we do suggest if you use them to also use a rod extension, like our #1064 and be sure to tighten up all slack line to ensure that you do not attempt to shoot the bow with out the button on the reel being pushed. If you tie to the back of the arrow always make sure you lay the line on the rest and the arrow on top of it and be sure to always reel up any slack line before attempting to draw the bow back. Each time you draw and let down be sure to tighten up the slack line before attempting to shoot. If you do this and forget to push the button, it will only pull the arrow off the string when you try to draw back and will not let you shoot the arrow without the button on the reel being pushed.
It is common to bump the reel handle while you are fishing and **** the reel, so always check and push the button as you are waiting and also check and make sure all slack line is kept tight and reeled up on the reel going to the arrow to prevent any problems or hang ups.
Muzzy reels are warranted against manufacturer defects. Any problems, repair or replacements should be handled thru Muzzy and technical support. Please call in to obtain RA # before returning any reel. Replacement parts are available for the reels and any problem with the reel will be handled promptly with either repair or replacement of the reel. Customer line removal for any returned reel is recommended as we cannot guarantee the line will be returned if the reel has to be replaced.
Thank you for purchasing what we feel is the best built spin cast reel made. This reel was built for Bowfishing and is designed from the frame up to handle the unique requirements of our sport. We spent over 3 years developing and designing this reel with a leading manufacturer of private label reels and feel we have come up with the ultimate spin cast reel.
For Bowfishing purposes, all factory mono line should be removed and replaced with a specialty, spectra or fast flight Bowfishing line. The factory mono line is used to test out the drag system on the reels and is not suitable for Bowfishing. We recommend using 200#, 175# or 150# spectra/fast flight line on these reels only. We do not recommend using any braided Dacron line in our reels as the diameter of the line is normally large and will limit line capacity as well as make line flow off the reel more difficult. The reel was built to handle spectra/fast flight line and will handle the unique stress these lines put on reels as well as give you the added benefits these lines provide. Approximate capacities for 200# line are 100ft and for the 150# line is 155ft.
To remove reel hood to remove factory line and to replace with Bowfishing line, be sure to loosen the drag each time the hood is removed as the drag system disks have tabs that bottom on the edge of the reel hood to keep in place and it will make it much easier to unscrew and reinstall the hood with the drag loosened.
Installing line: Due to the slick nature of the synthetic line materials, care should be taken when installing line to eliminate line slippage on the spool and maximize the performance of the reel and the line. Line should be installed by tying a small loop in the end of the line and wrapping around the spool of the reel with a double loop making sure the loop is put on the spool so it will bite into or tighten on the spool as pressure is applied. To prevent line twist, be sure to place line spool on a rod or arrow shaft as you spool the reel so the line spool will rotate as line is applied. Make sure drag is set light as you wind the line onto the reel. Spool will be full when it becomes hard to reel in line or drag begins to slip on the reel. Take cover off and make sure that the line is up to the outer edge of the spool. The line will flow and shoot smoothly off the reel as long as the reel spool is full of line.
Be sure to tighten the reel handle screw firmly, but do not over tighten! It is advisable to use some form of lock tight on the screw threads to prevent loosening from vibration in the boat. Handle is convertible from Right to Left hand retrieve by removing the screw opposite the handle and pulling handle and shaft out of reel and replacing in opposite side.
Use a high quality, sturdy reel seat when mounting reel to bow. Be sure to tighten the rings on the reel seat fully and eliminate any play in the foot of the reel.
The drag system used on these reels is a heavy duty, disc type system and normally does not require a lot of pressure or tightening down to work properly. We recommend only setting the drag heavy enough that you can snatch your arrow out of the bottom or slow down most normal size fish. Use the drag to your benefit and do not try to over power the fish and you will increase your percentages of landed fish.
Very little maintenance is required of the reels other then making sure all screw are tight and excessive dirt and grass, etc are washed off after each outing. All internal components on the reel are either stainless steel or brass and are very corrosion resistant, but rinsing off after each use in salt water is recommended to prolong the life of the reel.
Before shooting the reel each time you go out, be sure to plunk your arrow into the water and remove a nominal length of line and make sure it is wet and reeled back up. This will ensure that the line is packed well on the spool of the reel and will eliminate any tangles or hang ups in the reel from the line being dry and loosening on the spool. We do recommend the use of silicone on the line for each outing as it will make the line flow very smoothly off the reel and helps with evenly packing the line on the spool as it is reeled into the reel. Just a few quick sprays will do it, do not over spray and no need to soak down the whole reel, just wet the line with the silicone and it will flow smoothly.
Safety slides can be used with spin cast reels, but we do suggest if you use them to also use a rod extension, like our #1064 and be sure to tighten up all slack line to ensure that you do not attempt to shoot the bow with out the button on the reel being pushed. If you tie to the back of the arrow always make sure you lay the line on the rest and the arrow on top of it and be sure to always reel up any slack line before attempting to draw the bow back. Each time you draw and let down be sure to tighten up the slack line before attempting to shoot. If you do this and forget to push the button, it will only pull the arrow off the string when you try to draw back and will not let you shoot the arrow without the button on the reel being pushed.
It is common to bump the reel handle while you are fishing and **** the reel, so always check and push the button as you are waiting and also check and make sure all slack line is kept tight and reeled up on the reel going to the arrow to prevent any problems or hang ups.
Muzzy reels are warranted against manufacturer defects. Any problems, repair or replacements should be handled thru Muzzy and technical support. Please call in to obtain RA # before returning any reel. Replacement parts are available for the reels and any problem with the reel will be handled promptly with either repair or replacement of the reel. Customer line removal for any returned reel is recommended as we cannot guarantee the line will be returned if the reel has to be replaced.
Joined
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13,958 Posts
Thanks Mark.I have shot spinners since the day I started...they are all I shoot.Now,I tear up more than a Fat man and a bag of girl scout cookies,various reasons,but it is part of the game,nature of the beast.I am hard on all of my equipt.Thats why I pack anywhere from 5-8 spare spinners on my boat
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13,958 Posts
Yea,we arent talking about retreivers!
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13,958 Posts
x2!
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1,021 Posts
I will post a picture tomorrow of what I have left of my reel... Cover was lost but was not loose, also peice that holds line was lost. I have used this same reel for 2 years with no major problems other than loosing a handle.
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12,040 Posts
Don't mind kuger, he doesn't have good people skills...but the die hard spinner guys never like having a retriever compared to a spinner.
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1,021 Posts
Yeah, I'm normally a retriever guy as well... I like shooting a spinner for certain applications and just wanted to know what other options were out there since I've seen some threads with new spinners available. I've bowfised for years but I'm always open to other opinions. I've learned more in the last year being a part of BFC than I have the past 20 years of bowfishing
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73 Posts
Yea thanks lots of good info there.
Right now I'm shooting an 808 and so far so good, but when the bigheads are out this summer the retrievers will be back in buissnes!
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13,958 Posts
:laugh:Sorry that came across wrong!But Brady is right.I just hate it that we cant keep a subject going on just spinners,we all know that retreivers are more dependable,but they are two different animals. Thanks for understanding,and I apologize Gmoney!
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1,257 Posts
i thought that was pretty funny too
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350 Posts
LOL x 2
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136 Posts
Hey Mark, Is Spectra the same material as Dyneema?
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1,554 Posts
Yep pretty much but is a slightly different material then spectra but very similar. All the Brownell 200# line is actually spectra, which is what is used to make fast flite bowstring material. Everybody calls it fast flite but it is actually spectra. Fast flite is actually a product name. Spectra is a material, like dyneema, vectron and some others.
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136 Posts
Had no idea you would be able to respond that quickly. Thank you.
A buddy and I are just getting Re-Started with Bows after a 30+ year gap. So, we reallllly appreciate all the good info - like your posts on the Muzzy above.
A buddy and I are just getting Re-Started with Bows after a 30+ year gap. So, we reallllly appreciate all the good info - like your posts on the Muzzy above.
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